A brief introduction to the history and evolution of Strategy as an academic discipline

A brief introduction to the history and evolution of Strategy as an
academic discipline

Twenty four centuries ago a Chinese war advisor and philosopher, Sun
Tzu, wrote to explain what we today understand as Strategy in his
famous work 'The Art of War'. In his work he not only spoke about the
importance of positioning, which he terms as 'Shih'- a place where the
forces (army) have to be deployed so that it automatically gains an
advantage over its rivals, but also the idea of 'preparedness' to win
a war. There are so many statements and quotes of Sun Tzu that one
could get to read on the internet each explaining and exploring a
different dimension that can be readily compared to the nuances of
elements constituting today's business and policy studies.

One of the statements that is made in 'Art of War' goes "The best way
to win a war; is never to fight one". With such statements Sun Tzu
shifts the focus from the euphoria of war to resource acquisition and
retention. In all the thirty one principles, Sun Tzu discusses the
importance of resource management. Another important statement that is
mentioned in the 'Art of War'- "What everyone can see are my tactics
and what no one can identify are my strategies" throws light on
another important concept of strategy which is that it is made of a
series of carefully designed tactics.

Between 350BC and 270BC, a professor from Takshashila University named
Vishnusharma or kautilya who was also known popularly as Chanakya
wrote in his famous work- Arthashastra, tenets that can easily be
considered as ingredients of strategy. Kautilya brought together
knowledge from polity, administration, war sciences, commerce and
economics to demonstrate comprehensive understanding of knowledge of
strategy. This clearly shows the importance of cross functional
(disciplinary) relevance the subject strategy has if one needs to
understand it in its entirety. Kautilya, with his abundant knowledge,
helped Maurya dynasty to be formed and achieve the peak of its
prosperity and glory.
Much like Sun Tzu's art of war Von Clausewitz, a major general in the
German army writes in his book 'On War', in 1930, the importance of
avoiding a war. His influence can be seen in the American nuclear
deterrence under the belief that the best way to avoid a nuclear war
is to have the ability to engage in one. This approach of wanting to
avoid a major disaster by engaging in research and development to
acquire the required capability and resources to do so continues to
influence many countries as a part of their military strategy even
now.

So what brings these thoughts and ideas about war so close to
businesses that in every board room discussion, the main agenda always
revolves around this enigmatic, often misunderstood term called
strategy? Well there are many reasons that show a similarity in the
way world is perceived during war time and the way the world of
business is perceived today. One of the most important reasons among
them is the complexity associated with decision making. The dynamics
involved in a war situation is not very different from the dynamics of
a market place. In both situations, recalling a decision is almost
impossible and even if it is done, is very expensive. Imagine a
situation in the battlefield when a particular troop is ordered to
attack and immediately ordered to retreat. Sounds much like a company
deciding to penetrate the market fully and the very next year deciding
to find a niche for itself.

With this background, now let us try to look at academic developments
that have happened in the area of strategy in business for the last
six to four decades. One particular school of thought that was
primarily advocated during 1960s is the positioning school of thought.
Here the practitioners as well as literati focused on opportunities
that organizations can identify and specify and enable itself to
capitalize on the same. Much like 'Art of War', here too strategy was
looked at a process or an approach to achieve that competitive
positioning. Some of the thinkers who contributed to this era are Igor
Ansoff, Chandler and Andrews.

During 1970s and 80s the idea of strategy graduated from being focused
on the reason behind strategizing to the content and process of
strategy. This time period is when the structure of strategic
management process was deliberated upon. There was a lot of emphasis
given to implementation of strategy and the way these initiatives were
reviewed and controlled. Although people such as Igor Ansoff continued
to contribute to the body of knowledge of strategy, some notable
thinkers like Henry Mintzberg and Michael Porter made remarkable
contribution that would stand relevant even today. Mintzberg's
emergent strategy and Michael Porter's notion of competitive advantage
are some of the most important aspects of discussion even in today's
business world and academia.

During the late 1980s and early 1990s saw a paradigm shift in the way
strategy was understood, taught and practiced. The idea of resource
based view; logical incrementalism took the subject of strategy into a
different direction. Some of the notable works that came during this
era are the concepts of core competence, value system and game theory.
Apart from Michael Porter and Ansoff who continued to contribute to
the area of study, this era saw thinkers such as Sumantra Goshal, C K
Prahalad, Gary Hamel and Jay Barney. The focus in this era was given
to internal capabilities and resources and ideas such as unrelated
diversification and asset acquisition were highly criticized.

2000 and onwards has seen new ideas and theories in the area of
strategy that has much to do with intangibles and the organizations'
take on managing these intangibles. Both from the firm point of view
as well as the industry point of view, thinkers have contributed to
the notion of intangibility that is associated with making a firm's
competitive advantage sustainable. While Prahalad and Hamel continued
to work on the idea of core competence, Andy Grove presented the
notion of inflection point. Much focus was given to the big term
called 'Innovation'. Along with innovation taking the front seat in
most of the novel thoughts presented by thinkers of strategy, there
are others such as 'dynamic capability', knowledge and process
management which were also widely discussed.

This note, as suggested in the beginning, provides a snapshot of
history of strategy as a discipline and brings together some of the
notable contributions in this area over the years very briefly. To get
a deeper understanding of the process of evolution, one must of course
look individually into all the aspects and identify possible linkages
between these nodes more strategically.




Dilipchandra S
Institute of Management, Christ University
+919742070817
+918040129518

MBA department history

The genesis of the MBA department at Christ University (CU), earlier known as Christ College, was the result of AICTE's purpose to promote management education. In 1997, AICTE permitted Christ college to offer the MBA course under Bangalore University. The programme was offered by the Department of Commerce with dual specialization. The first batch began with about 20 students and the student number doubled in the following year. From the start, the department focused on making the programme unique by initiating activities such as Organization Structure Training (OST), Book Review and Dissertation apart from the mandatory Summer Internship Project. The OST was the first glimpse of an organization for an incumbent in the MBA programme. Since the class was a diverse mix of students from different educational background streams, it was pertinent to orient them to management thinking and philiosophy and this led to the launch of another important co-curricular activity, the book review. These flagship activities continue to make the MBA programme unique.

Over the years the student strength increased gradually and the MBA programme was managed by its own department. One of the first strategic shifts occurred in 2007 when Christ College was granted the autonomy to design its own curriculum. The department also initiated the single specialization programme by offering a choice of Finance, Marketing and Human Resources specialization courses. During the same year the MBA department signed an MOU with FHWS, Germany for a twinning programme.

Another turning point in the department was in 2009 when Christ College (Autonomous) was granted the deemed university status. There were several other key events that contributed to the growth of the department. The department signed another MOU with Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), USA for a twinning programme. The university launched MBA programme in another campus in the city of Bangalore. The following year one more specialization stream, Lean Operations and Management was offered to the students. In 2013, General Management was offered as another specialization stream.

Over the years the student numbers grew exponentially which also made it vital to increase the faculty strength. The demand for the MBA programme offered by the University is a testimonial that the brand has established itself in the market. The brand started as an unknown entity and in a decade and half, it became a brand that was reckoned by several companies from across industries for prospective employees.

By 2015, the university offered the regular MBA programme and the PGDM programmes of FHWS and VCU under the deanery of management. The deanery continued its journey by aligning itself to the university's goal to achieve excellence and emerge as a world class institution by reengineering its courses, launching new activities, forging alliances with industry partners, emphasizing on research and striving to offer quality management education.

Compiled by Bharathi Gopal

 

 

History of Physics Department:

Tumkur University was established in 2004 in Tumkur, Karnataka, India. It was carved out of Bangalore University to accommodate the needs of the students from Tumkur district. Established under the Karnataka State Universities Act, 2000, as a multi-faculty university,

Tumkur University was previously known as The University College of Science (erstwhile Government Science College) was established in 1940. Beginning as an intermediate college, it was upgraded to a full-fledged First Grade college with Bachelors courses in various disciplines in BSc courses in different combinations such as PCM, PMG etc. were introduced.

In 2008, the Post Graduate courses were introduced in Physics, 'Prof. CNR Centre for Advanced Materials', an ambitious project was started in 2009, after which the research work has accelerated.  Under this institution many research projects are taking place in the department of physics sponsored by many government organizations such as DST, CSIR etc.

Suman G. R.

1445206.

HISTORY OF M.PHIL IN CHRIST UNIVERSITY

Christ University, formerly Christ College (Autonomous) affiliated to Bangalore University was established in July 1969. It became the most preferred educational institution in the city of Bangalore within the first three decades. From 1990 onwards it has scaled greater heights.

Christ University was born out of the educational vision of Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara, the founder of CMI congregation. Saint Chavara was a great educationalist and a social reformer of the 19th century. He could foresee the changes in the environment and make strategic moves to build a better society based on fatherhood of God and brotherhood of humanity.Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI), the first indigenous religious congregation of India with a membership of around 3000, renders its service to humanity in educational, social, health care and other activities aiming at the integral development of the society.

In 2005, it became the first College in South India to be reaccredited with A+ by NAAC. UGC identified it as an Institution with Potential for Excellence in 2006.

On July 22, 2008, a glorious day in the history of the Institution, the Ministry of Human Resources Development, Union Government of India, under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, vide Notification No. F. 9-34/2007-U.3(A), declared it a Deemed to be University, in the name and style of Christ University.

Christ University is rooted in Gospel values, and is committed to provide Holistic education through the development of intellectual competence, personal skills, inter-personal skills and societal skills. The University welcomes to its fold students from all over the country in an environment of religious harmony and secularism.

Due to the introduction of innovative and modern curricula, insistence on academic discipline, imparting of Holistic Education, a team of creative and dedicated staff, the institution has been continually rated amongst the top 10 educational institutions of the country. It has the rare distinction of being the first institution in Karnataka to be accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) UGC for quality education. In 2004, UGC conferred Autonomy on the Institution.

Christ University offers various courses ranging from undergraduate to Doctorate. It Offers various courses in Master in Philosophy in different streams i.e. chemistry, commerce, law, philosophy, computer science, economics, education, psychology, mathematics, management, English, social work, physics, tourism, media studies and sociology. Christ University, since 1991 with a clearly defined approach for creating quality managers and entrepreneurs required to face the challenges of the corporate sector.

Master of philosophy (M.Phil) is awarded under the guidance of two departments. This course started nearly six years back i.e. 2009.

•  Institute of Management

  Christ University Institute of Management (CUIM) was established in 1994. The Management program at Christ University Institute of Management (CUIM) is a professional 2- year PG program with specialization in Marketing, Finance, General Management, Human Resource & Lean Operations. The curriculum designed by CUIM is such that it provides students the best of opportunities and a launching pad for careers.
  
  At CUIM, every student goes through a wide spectrum of experiences which include the Organization Structure Study, Outbound Training, Book Review Competition, Summer Internships, Current Affairs & Weekly Presentations and Dissertation.
  
  

• Department of Management

  The department offers undergraduate courses in Business Management and Administration and Masters Programme in Management and Finance that are challenging and specifically designed to develop and enhance career opportunities and to contribute in the dissemination of academic and applied knowledge in business management.

   

M.Phil course

The Master of Philosophy in Management is a one and half year programme designed and well-founded for smooth transition into advanced research including doctoral level (Ph. D) and suitable for academicians, researchers, corporate and others. The program is a one and half year, two semesters, and based on a credit system. The submission of a dissertation at the end of the second semester is compulsory to complete the programme. The programme equips the researcher to aspire for higher disciplinary and methodological competences in research. The program is rigorous and includes four theory papers and a dissertation. The pedagogy includes paper presentations, research colloquia, SPSS and other tools training end term exam, case study, article critique and other media. The program provides the requisite knowledge, skills and abilities for planning, designing, engaging and interpreting research data for problem solving and consultancy for researchers, academicians, practitioners, and corporate. The course also enhances the ability to think systematically, and apply quantitative methods and provide the scholars the knowledge, skills and insights in identifying and solving problems in the management area independently. The programme also focuses on creating a pool of manpower with the requisite competencies to contribute to the educational & higher learning institutes, research institutes and organizations, Government and nongovernmental organizations, Training and consultancy organizations. Ruchika Gupta 1440003

HISTORY OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING IN CHRIST UNIVERSITY

Dear Sir,

Please find below the assignment on "HISTORY OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING IN CHRIST UNIVERSITY"

HISTORY OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING IN CHRIST UNIVERSITY

 

           By,

 Sujatha A K

Reg No: 1447102

 

Introduction:

 

Computer science and Engineering is a discipline that spans theory and practice. It requires thinking both in abstract terms and in concrete terms. The practical side of computing can be seen everywhere. Nowadays, practically everyone is a computer user, and many people are even computer programmers. Getting computers to do what you want them to do requires intensive hands-on experience. But Engineering in Computer Science can be seen on a higher level, as a science of problem solving. It embodies the science and technology of design, construction, implementation, and maintenance of software and hardware components of modern computing systems and computer-controlled equipment.

 

History of Christ University:

 

Christ University was formerly Christ College (Autonomous) affiliated to Bangalore University. Established in July 1969, Christ College became the most preferred educational institution in the city of Bangalore within the first three decades. From 1990 onwards it scaled from heights to heights. By the introduction of innovative and modern curriculum, insistence on academic discipline, imparting of Holistic Education and with the help of the creative and dedicated staff, Christ College has been continually rated among the top 10 educational institutions of the country. It has the rare distinction to be the first institution in Karnataka to be accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) UGC for quality education. On 7 October 2004, UGC has conferred Autonomy to Christ College (No.F.13-1/2004). On May 20, 2005, it became the first College in South India to be reaccredited with A+ by NAAC. UGC has identified it as an Institution with Potential for Excellence in June 2006. 
July 22, 2008 is the most glorious day in the history of the institution. Under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, Ministry of Human Resources Development of the Union Government of India, vide Notification No. F. 9-34/2007-U.3 (A), has declared it a Deemed to be University, in the name and style of Christ University 

 

History of Computer Science and Engineering in Christ University:

 

The Discipline of Computer Science and Engineering, a 4 year Under Graduate Programme in Christ University was started in the year 2009 with 5 students and 1 faculty member. The initial importance of the study was on Programming Paradigms and the fundamental objective was to provide the opportunity for our students to develop a firm foundation in Mathematics, Science, and Design Methodology. The teaching pedagogy was limited to just Class Room Teaching and Power Point Presentations.

 

Later in the year 2011, 3 more programmes augmented, a 4 year Under Graduate Programme in Information technology, 2 year Post Graduate Programme in Computer Science and Engineering and a PhD programme. Also certificate programmes in Algorithms and Matlab too was included in the curriculum to enhance learning skills and to cope up with the Industry Standards. The importance of the study changed towards the soft computing skills.  In the year 2013, a Post Graduate Programme in Information Technology started.  The teaching methods evolved with the usage of Video Films on actual situations, Case Studies, Seminars, Industry visits, Poster Presentations, Projects and the MOODLE – A Learning Management System.

 

Evolution from Teacher Centric Teaching to Student Centric Teaching, The Discipline covers all fundamentals, working and expert subjects that provides enough learning environment where students understand and are able to apply the most contemporary and essential tools needed in the breadth and depth of computer science and engineering.

 

Also the department provides various skills and activities like Leadership, Management, and Placement through a common forum named ASCII (Association for Students of Computer Science and Engineering and Information Technology with Innovation). The department assist our students in developing and evaluating methods that encourage them to continue to learn after leaving the university and aims for students to become Academic Intellectual Entrepreneurs.

 

Today, the Discipline has evolved to address highly specialized and specific application needs of the world including various domains like Data Sciences, Machine Learning, Digital Image Processing, Cloud Computing and so on. Today all these programmes in the Department are aiming for  Holistic Development of an Individual and to Foster ethical computational excellence in all areas of technology and to benchmark the Institute as one of the top-notch global institutions.

 

 

 

Sujatha A K
Ph. Office: +91 - 80 - 4012 - 9907
      Mob:   +91 - 9900899330

Fwd: History of Computer science department at Christ university

History of Computer science department in Christ University.

Christ University Computer science department started in 1989 with the introduction of CMS

Later  MCA is added in 1994 and CME in1996 ,BCA 2000,Msc 2007, MSc Computer Science (Working Professionals) 2009.Syllabus constantly underwent changes and many topics added over time.1990's Software Architecture, OOAD, Embedded Systems were added, In 2000 DBA, Data Warehousing and Data Mining were added, 2010 Cloud Computing and Mobile Application,ADBMS and  NO SQL were introduced.

Major Challenges: Department boomed till 2000, 2001 it faced recession. 2009 it faced Recession again but placement the placements remain unaffected. Hence people like Christ University students.

In  2004 BCA/MSC/MCA got divided and merged as a single department in 2009.Research focused learning started from 2009

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: BENNY THOMAS 1445001 <benny.thomas@res.christuniversity.in>
Date: Sat, Mar 28, 2015 at 8:38 AM
Subject: History of Computer science department at Christ university
To: ajpinto42.phd14@blogger.com

Department of Computer Science started in Christ University in 1989 with bachelor's degree in computer science.MCA started in Christ College by 1994. Later BCA and Mphil computer science were also introduced. Now the Computer Science department has MCA,BCA, BSC , Mphil and MSc in computer application courses. Department has nearly 30 faculties and nearly 1000students.

History of the Department of Physics in Mahatma Gandhi University

Mahatma Gandhi University was established on 2 October 1983 in Kottayam. Mahatma Gandhi University (formerly Gandhiji University), has been accredited (B+) by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council, India. The university has more than 10 affiliated colleges spread over five districts in central Kerala. The University campus is in the Priyadarsini Hills, 13 kilometers from Kottayam Railway Station and 4 kilometers from Ettumanoor.

The School of Pure and Applied Physics (SPAP) is the Department of Physics of Mahatma Gandhi University. The SPAP was established in 1983 along with the establishment of Mahatma Gandhi University. University Grant Commission (UGC) has identified School as a center of Potential research through SAP-DRS (Special Assistance Programme- Departmental Research Support) program and Basic Science Research (BSR) program. Department of Science and Technology (DST) has sanctioned financial assistance through Fund for Improvement of S&T Infrastructure in Universities and Higher Educational Institutions (FIST) program. Within this period the School has developed into one of the premier research and postgraduate centres of Kerala. The School offers MSc, Mphil and PhD programmes in Physics.

SPAP started the MSc course with specializations in Materials Science, Astrophysics, Applied Electronics and Theoretical Physics. Then it excluded Applied electronics and Theoretical Physics from the specialization streams. In 2014, the curriculum was modified to include Material science, Astrophysics, Theoretical physics, Photonics, and Plasma physics as specializations in MSc course. M. Sc. and M. Phil Courses follows the Credit and Semester system. The total number of seats for the MSc programme is 20, and for Mphil progranne it is 10 seats. Admission is based on written admission test and personal Interviews conducted by the Institute. The Institute also provides 100% placement for its students.

The major areas of research in School are Materials Science, Spectroscopy, Theoretical Physics, Nanomaterials and Ceramics, Biomaterials, Nanotechnology, Crystallography, Astrophysics, Cosmology, Plasma Physics, Solar Physics and Crystalline materials. The theoretical research group of SPAP includes Dr. Chandu Venugopal(Plasma Physics), Dr. K. Indulekha (Astrophysics)and Dr. S.Antony (Solar Physics). The Experimental research group of SPAP includes Dr. N. V. Unnikrishnan, Dr. C. Sudarsanakumar (Director) and Dr. K. Nandakumar, Dr. Cyriac Joseph and Dr. P. R. Biju. The research efforts of SPAP have resulted in the publication of nearly 500 research papers in internationally reputed journals.

The research facilities of the center are advanced and very comprehensive and they include the following:

X-ray Diffractometer, Spectrofluorimeter, UV-Visible Spectrophotometer, Ultrasonic Velocity Measuring System, Metallurgical Microscope, Advanced Fluorescence, Microscope, Impedance Analyzers, Microhardness Tester, keithley Electrometer, Vacuum Coating Units, Photomicrographic equipment, Programmable furnace, Crystal Cutter, Spectroradiometer, Spin Coater, Refrigerated circulator Bath. Recently (In 2014) they have installed Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in Material science Lab.

SPAP forum:

The SPAP forum provides a common platform for former and present members of the School of Pure and Applied Physics. The activities of the forum, which were started in 1997, include creating a stage for its members to interact with eminent persons, to share ideas and work together in academic as well as other areas. Those who had worked for the early development of the School will have a lot of experience to share through the forum, which acts as a binding force. The alumni members working in National/International institutes often visit the parent department for delivering lectures and to interact with the students. The forum also plays a major role in non-academic activities in the School.

The faculty members of the School of Pure and Applied Physics are providing free consultancy services to the teachers and researchers of the nearby institutions and affiliated colleges. The School has initiated an open center for industrial consultancy and instrumentation.

Re: Ph.D. Assignment 1440005

Ph.D. Course Work

History of higher education in management in ICFAI Business School

Varsha Agarwal

1440005

The Government of India has liberalized the business education in 1990s, which has resulted in a rapid growth of Business Schools offering the programmes both at graduate & undergraduate levels. Indian B-Schools are almost a replica of US Business education particularly in the area of pedagogy, curricula, industry interface & academic research models, but it is observed that Indian B-Schools are struggling hard to introduce several adaptations because of differences in the work culture system. That made Indian Business education to face several issues in the area of academics, development of infrastructure & financial support. Business education has a long history in India, dating back to the 19^th century. Early Business-Schools were focused on the commercial side of business, seeking to fulfil the needs of the then British government. India's first B-school i.e. Commercial School of Pacchiappa Charties was set up in 1886 in the southern city of Chennai (Madras). The Indian Institute of Social Science founded in the year 1948 as India's first management program with an intention to train manpower to create & spread the knowledge required for managing industrial enterprises in India. IIM Ahmedabad was founded in 1962, pioneered the case method of teaching in India with an emphasis on Qualitative strategic-integration. The mission of IIMs was to professionalize Indian Management education through teaching, research, training, institution-building & consulting with the support of expertise developed by the pioneering IIMs.

The Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India (ICFAI) was established in 1984 as a not-for-profit educational society in Telangana, India. The institution has been offering quality education to students across the country through its various programs in the field of higher education. The institution was founded by pioneers in private education - N.J. Yasaswy, Besant C. Raj and Dr. Prasanna Chandra, the Director of Centre for Financial Management. With the sponsoring and establishment of eleven universities across the country, the institution today has a good national presence. Ten of these eleven universities have been established in the states of Uttarakhand, Tripura, Jharkhand, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh through acts passed by the legislative assemblies of the respective states. The eleventh university, namely the Icfai Foundation for Higher Education (IFHE), has been declared as a deemed-to-be University under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956. A few more university applications are at an advanced stage of processing by the respective state governments.

 

 

Thanks & Regards,

Varsha Agarwal

Research Assistant (Major Research Project)

Institute of Management, Christ University

Hosur Road, Bangalore

Extension 9545

On Sat, Mar 28, 2015 at 8:08 PM, VARSHA AGARWAL 1440005 <varsha.agarwal@res.christuniversity.in> wrote:

Dear Sir

Kindly find the attached file for assignment.

Thanks & Regards,

Varsha Agarwal

Ph.D. Research Scholar & Research Assistant (Major Research Project)

Institute of Management, Christ University

Hosur Road, Bangalore

Extension 9545

History of the Department of Education in Christ University

                                                                                                                               Mary Thomas

                                                                                                                               Reg.No:  1444602                     

Write the history of your Discipline in Your Institution

    

  Christ University, formerly Christ College (Autonomous) affiliated to Bangalore University was established in 1969.  It became the most preferred educational institution in the city of Bangalore within the first three decades.  From 1990 onwards it has scaled greater heights.  Due to the introduction of innovative and modern curricula, insistence of academic discipline, imparting of Holistic Education, a team of creative and dedicated staff, the institution has been continually rated amongst top 10 educational institutions in the country.  It has the rare distinction of being the first institution in Karnataka to be accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) UGC for quality education. In 2004, UGC conferred Autonomy on the institution.  In 2005, it became the first College in South India to reaccredit with A+ by NAAC.   UGC identified it as an institution with Potential for Excellence in 2006.  In 2008 the institution was declared as Deemed University by the Ministry of Human Resources Development Union Government of India, under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, with notification No. F. 9-34/2007-U.3 (A).  The university has departments like Faculty of Engineering, School of Law, Institute of Management, Commerce and Management, Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences, School of Education and few general departments. The   School of Education, Christ University is originated in 2006 was first affiliated to Bangalore University.   The institution is dedicated to Jesus Christ, the supreme teacher, and draws inspiration from its educational visionary, Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara, founder of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI).  The University is rooted in gospel values, mutual respect, personal maturity and integrity, teamwork and social concern.   This article focuses on beginning and growth of the institution, addition of multiple programmes , features and activities of the Department of School of Education. 

     School of Education, Christ University is set up as a premier department for teacher training institute with multiple programmes like  B.Ed(2006), M.A (Education)(2009-11), M.Phil and PhD (2009).  Bachelor of Education (Bed) is a programme which extends over a period of two academic years consisting of 4 semesters.    It offers subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics and English.  It follows three main systems.   The institution has a well equipped with Art Library with wide range of books and electronic resources, Technology Lab, Psychology Lab, Science Labs and common facilities like Playground, Cafeteria and Kiosk, Prayer Hall, University Bus for field trips and photocopying facilities etc.   The other distinguished features are Value Addition Programmes through Centre for Education beyond Curriculum, Rural and social exposure through the Centre for Social Action, Theatre in Education, Holistic Education, Personality Development Programme and Training in Computer Assisted Instruction etc.  Master of Arts (MA) in Education has started in 2009-2011 academic year.  Its curriculum is designed to prepare competent and professional educationists, who will be able to take up diverse role in the field of education.  The two year programme aims at developing competency in research methodology, management and leadership in Educational Institutions.  Further the course aims at preparing Educationists who will innovate and deliver effective learning recourses, developing proficiency in curriculum development.  On completion of M.A Education Programme, students will understand the nature, purpose and Philosophy of Education, develop and understanding of the psychology of the learner.  The Master of Philosophy in Education programme is designed primarily for teacher educators, policy makers, researchers, and other educational personnel involved in school education, higher education, and professional education.  The M.Phil programme in Education will be conducted based on a credit system of one year and consisting of two semesters.  The candidate has to submit the Dissertation by the end of second semester, after completion of the course work.  The programme consists of four theory papers and two research papers namely: General Research Methodology and Research Methodology and Statistical Techniques in Education.  Besides this two electives can be selected from the four topics such as: Educational Leadership, Management and Organizational Development, Educational Psychology, Educational and Instructional Technology and Educational Administration and Policy Analysis.  The course aims at enhancing the capacity of professing, prospective and practicing teacher educators, education specialists, administrators and experts to conduct investigations, studies and researches that contribute to the betterment of the education system in general and teacher education in particular.  The M.Phil course is envisaged to contribute to the growth and development of the education sector of the country.  The course will create opportunities to share and disseminate educational researches and innovations by bringing about debates and discussions of topical importance to address critical educational issues.  The focus of the course is to produce high-level research manpower such as M.Phil and PhD scholars in the education sector.  PhD in Education is a magnificent endeavour of department of education.  Education is a dynamic concept and it is ever changing with the needs of the society.  This course has a wider scope for the doctoral students to undertake descriptive and experimental studies, and investigate some crucial problems in the field of education.  It suggests suitable remedies and makes significant contribution towards academic and administrative practices.  It also initiates various innovative strategies and methods to improve teaching-learning practices.   Within few years the university and the Education Department in particular have gained popularity for its technology based teacher training and its generation of knowledge through good research works.    Another attraction is its student friendly infrastructure and greenery campus that welcome students from multiple countries and cultures.  The head of the Education Department is Dr. Jose Cherian.   

     Thus we can see that the institution which has begun just 9 years ago with a single programme has proved its excellence and efficiency through multiple programmes added on course of time.  Every faculty of Christ University is highly motivated to offer their best to the growth of the institution under the great transformational leadership of the Vice Chancellor,Dr. (Fr) Thomas Chathenprambil.    No great works can be achieved by a single head whereas through clarity of vision, integrity, mutual respect and team work humans can achieve wonders.    By observing the present status of the university and the Education department in particular we can expect that Christ University will surely grow to the status of a world class university similar to Cambridge and Oxford Universities within few years.                                                              

                                           ………………………………………………………………………………….

                                                                                                                                                          

 

HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT IN CHRIST UNIVERSITY.

Psychology as a discipline made a new beginning in India in the first decade.  It was during the British era through education much emphasis was given, however the roots of psychology has been in the roots back in the philosophical and religious literature. Psychology was an important part of his voluminous writings. With all these influences and the basic emphasis on education: Psychology as a subject gained a lot of momentum (Mishra  and Paranjape,2012).

Psychology as a disciplined has existed in christ university since the college started ib 1969. The christ college was affliated to bangalore university, The purpose of starting the college for the purpose of giving a secular education for the students of dharmaram college. The students was allowed to study both spiritual and secular education. Since there is a strong  need to study psychology for dharmaram students was to handle with the people in their congregation.

The Psychology department was the smallest department in Christ College when it was started. The student's strength was about fifteen students and one teacher. The B.A. course was offered with two combinations widely known as PSENG (Psychology, Sociology and English) and PSECO (Psychology, sociology and economics). Till 1990 there were only male students. After 1990 there was change in trend in the society and there was acceptance in the society. In 1998 there was two more new combination started. FEP (functional English, English and psychology) and JPENG (Journalism, psychology and English). The significance behind these programmes was to extend the application of psychology. When these two courses were started it became a competition between these two sets of combination. This in turn led to lots of initiative and events in the department of psychology.  

In 1998 practical lab was started in main block (now called as block 1). The department started having a lot of activities and competitions. This is where silhouette was born. The department had adopted a student centric approach. Teachers supervised activities enable the students to learn better, and brought the unity in class. Later in 2008 the department was unified as one department. Till that point of time teachers had a option to work in the undergraduate or postgraduate department. Teachers supervised the activities to enable an experiential learning process and also to inculcate the spirit of unity in the class. The activities of the department are usually conducted by the elected members (final year UG & later on even PG) of psychology association in collaboration with faculty members. The texts were the Munn and Morris book on psychology were used. From the beginning in abnormal psychology DSM was used in teaching students.

In 2004 was an important year in the history of Christ College as it was given an autonomous status by the UGC. Hence the department had a freedom to change the syllabus. All this while the department was referring to the university syllabus and had limitation in trying out new disciplines of psychology. In 2005 a master programme in clinical psychology was started. In that time it was new in the locality. The necessity in starting the programme was based on the growing demands in the field of psychology and the autonomous status gave the liberty to start this programme. At that time there was division in the department. It was called as the post graduate studies in psychology.

In 2007, there was a master programme in counseling psychology was started. The reason for starting this programme was based on the student needs. In 2007 department of psychology started to have its first nation al conference on women psychology and from that it has been a tradition to hold a conference every year.  In 2008 it was big achievement and a mile stone for this institution took place. On July 22 Christ College was given deemed to be university status by the MHRD.  This has helped the department of psychology to grow higher. Meanwhile the scope of psychology was growing in Bangalore and many students preferred to study psychology in Christ University.  This point there was a revision in the syllabus of psychology courses. Courses on qualitative research, skill based training courses, supervised practicum/ research labs and many electives like addiction counseling, workplace counseling, disability and challenge were introduced at the PG level.  The post graduate students were now given an option to choose the clinical track (internship) or research track (dissertation) as students felt they wanted to focus more on applied areas.

In 2010 there was a new combination in the UG programme was started. PEP (Performing arts, English and Psychology). In the same year the BA psychology Honours started. This programme offered papers such as biological foundations, cognitive psychology, abnormal psychology, industrial psychology, research methods, health psychology and statistics, among others along with electives. A new PG programme M.Sc. in Human resource development and management was also started in the same academic year. This was unique programme. This programme has professionalization seminars every week where experts from the field come and interact with students. They also conduct events such as HR conclave which aims at academic-industry interface. These changes were incorporated to reflect the demands of the industry.

The department evolved over a period of time and changes in the discipline and has made necessary changes in the pedagogy and syllabus. The expertise in the field was highlighted and more faculties were recruited. This department has grown to be one of the largest departments in India both students and faculties.  This department has always been innovative and a trend setter for the various reasons. Service learning and cognitive labs are the new ideas drawn in for the understanding of the students.

 

The Vision of the Department of Psychology is to promote high academic standards and scholarship in psychology, by creating an optimal and enriching learning environment, fostering on going professional and personal development and contributing effectively to societal needs.

The Department runs a range of programmes that include Certificate courses, Undergraduate programmes, Post Graduate programmes with three specializations and Research degrees in psychology (M.Phil. and Ph.D.). Through these programmes we encourage students to consider careers and life missions that integrate psychological understanding to life. Our programmes integrate scholarship with professional practice and we offer courses that are cutting edge in the field of psychology. Students who complete programmes in Psychology from the University demonstrate high degrees of self awareness are service oriented and are encouraged to embrace humane values in their vocation.

The Department realizes its vision to promote high academic standards through a continuous and dynamic curriculum review process based on feedback from peers, professionals, potential employers and students. A variety of student-centered teaching and training pedagogies are practiced by the faculty members. Prominent among them are the use of seminars, experiential methodologies, laboratory training, conferences, workshops, field based studies, and film based discussions and interactions with field experts.

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History of Computer Science Discipline in Christ University

History of Computer Science Discipline in Christ University

       (Article written by Jibrael Jos)

 Computer Science discipline has changed at a very rapid rate. To get an idea the Apollo Mission to moon had a RAM capacity of just 4 KiloBytes and today in India we have mobile phones with 2 GigaBytes of RAM. Today computer science and technology has transformed almost all aspects of human life. From the early time sharing machines in the 70's to the PC's of the 80's and distributed cloud servers of the 21^st century,  the computer lab has seen changes in leaps and bounds. We become archaic in 3 years and obsolete in 5.  Computer's control transcends from the vegetable to the share markets, from birth in a hospital to claiming life insurance. Whether to make friends, for entertainment or travel, technology is touching our lives in ways we never even imagined in our wildest dreams.

How does the discipline in universities keep pace?

Before we get bogged by the immenseness of our task let us take a step back and see what makes a good IT Professional. What traits and skills a successful computer science graduate possess?

Personal Traits	Technical Traits
Ability to take Decision Accepts Change Accepts Direction Accepts Responsibility Time Management Attitude Cooperation & Team Player Effective Under Stress Initiative Leadership Planning and Organizing Quality of Work Quantity of Acceptable Work Growth & Learning Innovation Presentation Skill	Core Concepts (35%) Programming Language Database Design Operating System Computer Architecture Computer Network Data Structures Technical Skills (30%) Designing Database Analyzing Requirements Project Estimation Code Understanding Debugging Thinking/Problem Solving Explore New Tools	Application Software(20%) RDBMS (like Oracle) Web Based Software High End Languages(like C#) (…) Domain Expertise (10%) Customer Interaction Requirement Gathering Emerging Areas (5%) Cloud Computing Data Mining AI Android App Dev (…)

 

The table above I have listed out is not based on a literature survey but purely based on my Industry Experience and hence may not be very exhaustive.

How has the discipline evolved over time?

Course Started in Christ University related to Computer Science Discipline:

·         1990: CMS (Computer Science, Maths, Statistics)

·         1994: MCA

·         1996: CME (Computer Science, Maths, Electronics)

·         2000: BCA

·         2007: M.Sc. Computer Science

·         2009: M.Sc. (Working Professionals)

·         M.Phil. and Ph.D were added recently

Computers is now taught in B.Com, MBA, Law, Chemistry, Maths, Physics and is spreading its wings and intersects most disciplines.

 Syllabus constantly underwent changes and many courses were added over time.

1990's

o   Software Architecture

o   C/ UNIX/ COBOL

o   OOAD

o   Embedded Systems

2000

o   DBA

o   Data Warehousing and Data Mining

2010

o   Cloud Computing

o   Mobile Application

o   ADBMS

o   NO SQL

 Department has used different strategies to make Teaching and Learning become effective with changing times. Following is a short summary of the last 25 years.

o   1997 Project based learning

o   1997 Started Magazine/ Cultural and Technical Fest to foster innovation, teamwork, all round development and leadership

o   2000 Seminars and Soft Skill Workshops

o   2001 Internship part of Curriculum

o   2005 Domain based lab

o   2009 Research Focus

o   2010 Corporate Connect Programs

o   2012 Online Courses

 Students have been placed consistently each year, though there may have been ups and down in the CTC the corporates have always returned for placement back to Christ University. There have been challenges specially when the recessions occurred in 2001 and 2010, but fortunately did not affect placement at Christ to a great extent. The alumni has been a key source of strength for the department and whether it was for special lectures, syllabus review, conducting sessions or exams the Alumni has been very active. In the last Alumni Meet conducted on January 2015 more than 130 Alumni had come down to the campus.

 Is there a gap between the traits table and the students who pass out from our courses?

The answer is a "yes", we strive every day to bridge the gap. I as a teacher with 6 years of teaching experience and 12 years of industry experience realize that gap is inevitable.  I take heart that it's after all our students out there in the real world who are making the technological advances to widen the gap and are also the ones inspiring us to keep dancing to change.

 

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."  ― Mahatma Gandhi